LAKE STEVENS — How nice is it for the Lake Stevens High School football team to have Jayshon Limar back? And how nice is it that he’s up to full speed just in time for the Vikings’ run at a second straight state title?
Lake Stevens’ star running back ran wild Friday night, and the Vikings overcame a slow start to blow out the Woodinville Falcons 41-0 during a rainy first-round Class 4A state tournament game at Lake Stevens High School.
“I feel amazing,” Limar answered when asked how he was doing physically. “I feel like I ran well tonight, I didn’t feel any pain and it felt really good to be back out there.
“I feel like they prepared for us to be a pass-heavy team since last game (quarterback Kolton Matson) threw for 370, and I feel like that really opened up the run game for us.”
Limar, a junior, missed four games mid-season because of a shoulder injury. But he was eased back into action beginning with Lake Stevens’ regular season finale against Glacier Peak, and Friday against Woodinville he busted out in a big way, carrying 15 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns. It was his 57-yard run that set up the Vikings’ first score, which finally woke Lake Stevens’ offense up from its slumber.
”It was huge (getting the run game going),” Lake Stevens coach Tom Tri said. “I would have liked to have seen us throw the ball a little bit better tonight. But we challenged our O-line tonight because the week before we played Olympia and we didn’t run the ball as well as we should have. So that was a big point of emphasis this week, knowing we were going to have to be physical against a physical team.”
Lake Stevens’ Jayshon Limar (17) moves with the ball during a football game between Lake Stevens and Woodinville at Lake Stevens High School in Lake Stevens, Washington on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. Lake Stevens won, 41-0. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
David Brown added three touchdowns — two receiving and one on an interception return — as Lake Stevens (10-1), the No. 2 seed and defending state champion, advanced to host No. 10 Kennedy Catholic in the quarterfinals next Friday at 7 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s state title game.
Woodinville, the No. 15 seed, finished its season 7-4.
While Limar and Brown did the scoring, it was Lake Stevens’ defense that did the heavy lifting most of the game. The Vikings held the Falcons to just 193 yards offense, including a paltry 53 in the first half when Lake Stevens’ offense wasn’t yet firing on all cylinders. Brown picked off a pair of passes, while the Vikings’ front held Woodinville’s powerful rushing attack to 42 yards on 20 carries.
“Our linebackers did an amazing job filling those gaps,” Brown said about the run defense. “Same with the defensive ends, they were closing down and making plays. Our whole entire box is amazing at what they do.”
Lake Stevens’ offense leaned heavily upon Matson and the passing game during Limar’s absence. But while the passing game never got on track Friday, the running game more than made up for it as the Vikings piled up 329 yards on the ground.
Almost all of that was Limar while the game was still a contest. His 57-yard run midway through the second quarter on a direct snap — a play that gave Woodinville fits all night long — set the Vikings up at the Falcons’ 5-yard line. One play later Matson hit Brown on a slant pass to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead.
It was more Limar on Lake Stevens’ next possession. Limar proved difficult to bring down, breaking tackles to gain seven yards at a time. He finished it off with a 7-yard TD run off right tackle to double the Vikings’ lead as Lake Stevens led 14-0 at halftime.
Lake Stevens players react during a football game between Lake Stevens and Woodinville at Lake Stevens High School in Lake Stevens, Washington on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. Lake Stevens won, 41-0. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
While Lake Stevens tried to mix the run and pass in the first half, the Vikings came out almost exclusively on the ground in the second half. On the opening drive of the third quarter Limar ate up yards in big chunks, and that set up Brown for a 31-yard TD on a screen pass following a fake pitch to Limar. Limar scored his second TD on an 8-yard run on the next possession, and Brown returned a pick 25 yards for a score less than a minute later as the Vikings put the result to bed with a 21-point third.
“It’s a huge plus getting (Limar) back,” Tri said. “I think our run game really improved while he was gone. When he came back, we were better up front with our O-line and with our receivers blocking, and quite honestly he has some fresh legs because he was injured for five weeks. Our run game got better while he was gone, now he’s coming back with fresh legs, you put those two together and it makes for a pretty lethal running attack.”
Talha Rai added 91 yards on 16 carries and scored the final touchdown for the Vikings.
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